True Colors Show
by GoldenGirl
Summary: This is a triangle fic, skj. Jack's true colors show, and as a result, so do Sawyer's. Lots of Jack, but this is a SK fic
1. Default Chapter

Kate handed the knife over to Jack. She wasn't about to do it. She was a strong woman and had the capability to do a lot, but there was no way she would gut a fish. She provided the vegetarian excuse as a mask for the 'that's-disgusting-and-I-don't-want-fish-guts-all-over-me' excuse she was really feeling.

Jack noticed the repulsed face she made as he sliced down the middle of the fish and he chuckled. As much as Kate liked to climb trees and get her hands dirty, she certainly was squeamish about things like fish guts and blood. He remembered her face when she'd seen all that blood spill out of Sawyer's arm.

He put the fish down on a flat rock near the burning fire, an wiped his hands on a rag. He looked at her again.

"So, I never did find out what you did to get the gun from Sawyer."

She looked up. "What I did?"

"Yeah. Sawyer wouldn't just give something up because someone asked him nicely. You had to do something."

He was smiling, good-naturedly, but Kate felt his eyes were silently accusing her.

"I helped him with his boar problems," she explained, searching her face to see if that was a good enough answer. If he was still thinking something he shouldn't have been. "Why? What did he tell you?"

"He didn't say anything."

As Jack proceeded to clean the fish of it's scales, he noticed Sawyer emerge from the dark trees with two empty water bottles in tow. Of course, he had to go out of his way to come say hello.

Kate looked up just as Sawyer appeared at her side.

"Something smells goo-ood, Sugarplum. What's for dinner tonight?"

Before Jack had the chance to tell him to screw off and leave them alone, Kate answered his question.

"Spaghetti and meatballs," she said matter-of-factly.

"Well wouldn't you know it, Spaghetti and meat balls is my favorite dish."

"Lucky guess."

"Aww if I wasn't so darn full from all that fish I had on the beach, I would join you," Sawyer said through one of those smug smiles Jack hated.

He looked to see if Kate hated Sawyer's annoying smirks too. He couldn't help sneaking glances at her face. He was mesmerized by it. The way her eyes shone in the fire light, the way her skin glistened in the heat when everyone else was just sweaty. But it was her lips that he always focused on. The way the corners would turn up in a quirky smile. More than anything, he just wanted to make her smile. Much like the way Sawyer inexplicably had just now. As much as Jack could tell she was trying not to, a coy smile emerged from her beautiful lips. Her own dimples now matched Sawyer's.

"Leave us alone," Jack suddenly said, interrupting the ever-growing weighted silence between Kate and Sawyer. The silence they shared bothered him more than their bickering did. "Don't you have some dead people to rob?"

Sawyer turned away from Kate to finally acknowledge Jack. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Doc. I was just leavin'." He readjusted his backpack and headed towards the fresh water. "You smell like fish," he called back.

Jack huffed bitterly. "That guy's an asshole."

"Yeah," Kate said. She watched him go.


	2. chapter 2

Kate stuck her stick into the ground and used it as leverage to climb up the rocky hill. The rest of the boys were all lagging behind her, except for Jack who had already reached the top. He was downing his bottle of water when she finally caught up with him.

"So you say there's this whole bounty a food a little farther," Kate said as she tried to catch her breath.

Jack nodded, silently sucking in air and wiping his brow. "I saw it the other day. There's a lot more fruit for us there. Some new varieties too, I think."

"You think those guys will be able to lug it all back?" She and Jack looked down the hill to see Boone, Charlie and Hurley barely able to make it up a semi-steep hill. There was no way they'd have enough man power to carry down everything Jack intended them too.

"Sure," he responded.

"We had to stop for Boone and Hurley 5 times. Charlie keeps tripping over himself."

"What? No he doesn't." On cue, Jack and Kate noticed as Charlie fell to the ground clumsily. He stood up quickly, though, looking to his sides to see if anyone saw him. "I take that back," Jack corrected himself.

"They're gonna be too exhausted to come back down, let alone carry bags of food with them."

"Are you exhausted?" He asked, handing her his bottle. She accepted it and took a drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "No. I'm fine. Just a little hungry."

"There'll be plenty of fruit once we get there. It shouldn't take much longer."

Kate nodded her head and took a seat by a nearby rock. She looked at Jack. "Why didn't you let Sawyer come?"

Jack shifted his weight to his other leg and looked back at the guys. He didn't really want to speak about Sawyer and didn't see the use. He had to admit it bothered him whenever Kate brought him up. Which starting to happen more frequently. "This trip would've been a lot more difficult if he was here and you know it."

"He's one of the strongest guys on the island, Jack. He could've helped out."

He cocked his head back and rolled his eyes. "And how do you know?"

Kate felt like rolling her eyes too but it was one of her pet peeves so she raised an eyebrow instead. "Because he looks it." What else did he think?

"Looks can be deceiving," Jack responded. "That guy probably lives on beer and cigarettes."

"The point is," Kate said, getting back on topic, "he offered his help."

"He was being sarcastic."

"He's trying to change. Why don't you give him a chance?"

Jack looked at her incredulously. "Do you hear yourself, Kate? Sawyer's been the antithesis to all the good we've been trying to do on this island."

Boone, Hurley and Charlie finally caught up, gasping for breath and nearly lunging for Jack's bag of water bottles, which he offered to carry for all of them. Hurley fell to the ground dramatically, and Charlie fell on top of him, using him, somewhat, as a pillow.

"You guys ok?" Kate asked in their general direction. They nodded vaguely and she returned her attention to Jack.

"I know that."

"Then why do you trust him?" What he was really asking was 'why do you trust him and not me?'

Kate opened her mouth to speak but she didn't really know what to say. She did trust him, and although she had every reason not to, she couldn't help him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Boone chimed in. His question went ignored as Kate finally answered Jack.

"Because I know him," she said simply. "He's trying to make an effort to—"

"So now you know him," Jack exclaimed, becoming more aggravated as the conversation progressed. "We've been here a little over a month, Kate. No one knows anyone." He certainly didn't know her, and from the way she looked at him, she took his comment as an insult. "What, is it the whole criminal thing? Two of a kind?"

Suddenly Jack's commentary commanded everyone's attention.

"Criminal?" Charlie asked, his head shooting up off of Hurley.

"I bet you told Sawyer what you did," Jack continued. "Because you trust him. You know him, right?"

Kate felt everyone's eyes on her, but she only looked at Jack. She realized he had obviously become upset because she was giving Sawyer so much credit, and indirectly saying she trusted him more. She didn't know if that was true up to that point, but he'd made it very clear that it was.

"What I told you," she began slowly, "was in confidence."

"You didn't tell me anything," he responded, firmly. "I found that mug shot of you. You never tell me anything."

Kate stood and grabbed her stick. "Now I know why." She turned and made her way back down the hill


	3. chapter 3

Kate stalked into Sawyer's tent just as he was getting ready to take his regular afternoon nap.

"Are you going to sleep?" Kate asked. "It's the middle of the day."

"Was. Right up until you barged into my tent" A suggestive smile snuck up on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You gave me cart blanche... and I'm here to use it."

"Well well." As Sawyer sat up, the small blue airplane blanket inadequately covering him, slipped off to reveal his bare chest. He reached for his suitcase full of miscellaneous goodies and set it before him. "Supply has been runnin' thin but I'm sure we can find you something."

Kate sat across from him, with the open suitcase in between them. As Sawyer rummaged through it, she did her own search.

"I've got a nifty pair of sunglasses, pages 36 to 98 of 'Moby Dick,' and," he picked up a piece of lacy red fabric with his index finger. "Something I was hoping you'd ask for a long time ago."

"Put your lingerie away, Sawyer. You better hope no one finds that in your suitcase or you'll be known not only as the island jackass but also as the closet drag queen."

Sawyer had never thought about that. He stuffed the underwear in a hidden compartment in the case.

"I want those," Kate said, pointing at the ziplock bag full of half a dozen tiny bottles.

"Now hold on just one minute. You want a drink? It's the middle of the day."

Kate just stared at him.

"That's my personal stash. You can't have it."

"But you promised me cart–"

"I promised you whatever you wanted," he interrupted her. "And I also remember you leaving me in the jungle to look for the boar on my own at one point. And I found it all by myself. I don't owe you a damn thing."

Kate wanted to argue but she knew he was right. Coming to his tent, she knew it was a long shot but she needed to try anyway. If there was ever a time she needed a drink, it was now. She sighed and lay against his one sturdy wall. There was no where else for her to go, and even knowing that Sawyer probably wasn't going to give her what she wanted, she still came to his tent because she knew it'd be the one place she'd be welcome.

Sawyer folded his arms over his chest. He imagined she would've gone by now. Or at least put up a good fight. She was just slumped against his wall, hugging her knees with a sad look in her eyes. There must've been some reason she stormed into his tent so urgently to have a drink in the middle of the day. There was no way she'd just popped in for a quick visit. He desperately wanted to know what was wrong, but she didn't look like she was in the talking mood. Luckily, he knew the perfect way to get people to open up.

"Tell you what, Freckles," he said. "I'll give you a drink but only if you have it right here. With me."

Kate raised her eyes from the ground and looked at him. "Ok."

As soon as he began laughing he felt that familiar tingling that weighed his arms down. A few more drinks and he'd be full-on drunk. Kate on the other hand, had a bit more to drink than him. By all accounts she should've been pretty drunk by then, by she still looked alright. For now, though, he was still reasonably sober and he was really enjoying her joke.

"Damn girl, I had no clue."

"Of what?" Kate asked, grinning.

"No clue you knew dirty jokes. And good dirty jokes, too."

"They're the best kind," she giggled, taking another sip from the bottle, careful not too spill any as she laughed.

Sawyer calmed a bit and opened another bottle. As he put it to his mouth he remembered why he'd agreed to let Kate have his liquor, and it wasn't so she could get rip-roaring drunk. He was supposed to find out what had made her so upset. He put the bottle back down and looked at Kate. She was backlit by the glowing orange sunset coming through the windows of the plane wall. Her hair was hanging loose, framing her face and she had a sort of crazy/mischievous look in her eye that made her look really sexy. Or maybe that was just the liquor talking.

"So are you going to tell me why you came in here looking to get drunk, or what?"

"I'm not drunk yet."

"You're getting there."

"Here's hoping," she raised a bottle to her lips and finished what was left of it.

"Seriously. You can tell me."

She tugged her hair behind her ear and grabbed a new bottle. "I'm here because I want to forget what happened today. And if I get drunk enough, I just may be able to that." She took a swig of the new bottle and winced as the liquid touched her lips. "That's strong," she coughed, holding the bottle back to read the label.

"Pure vodka." She took another swig anyway. "What happened today?"

If she knew Sawyer was going to be so persistent she would've thought twice about coming to his tent. But it was a good kind of persistent. When he asked her something, she wanted to tell him. "Well, the guys and I went on that hike. And Jack decided that was the perfect time to humiliate me."

Sawyer watched as she swallowed more of the drink, obviously growing accustomed to the strong taste. Either that or ignoring it completely. His bottle remained full in his hand. "Did he make you blush?" She shot him a look and he realized he sounded insensitive. It was certainly not the right time to be the insensitive jerk everyone else knew him as. "I mean, you don't seem like the type to be embarrassed easily."

"It's not about that. I'm just mad. At him. At myself."

"You didn't do anything wrong." He didn't really know what had happened between her and Jack but he knew that whatever it was, he was the only one to blame.

"I told myself I'd never let another man..." She paused and looked at Sawyer. "When I was married, my husband was keen on telling me off." She realized she was letting Sawyer into her life but she had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't shout it from the hilltops for all to hear. "He was great at the beginning but pretty soon he got deliriously mad for every little thing I did. It started with reasonable things like adding too much salt to the mashed potatoes. I'll be the first to admit I'm a horrible cook," she laughed sheepishly. "And then it got to the point where he'd go off on me for writing our address too sloppily on envelopes," she whispered with a pained smile on her face.

Sawyer was completely enthralled in her story. He didn't even know his name but he hated her husband already. "Did he do anything to you?"

"You mean like hit me?"

Sawyer's stare didn't waver.

"God no. He was too chicken to even try," she laughed, taking another drink. Her words were starting to slur by now. "But after I left him I promised myself I'd never let another man talk down to me. Make me feel stupid or bad about something."

Her eyes had gone from crazy/mischievous back to sad again. "So that's why I'm upset, Sawyer."

She was about to polish her bottle off when Sawyer reached over to grab it first.

"I think you've had enough for tonight."

"Sawyer!" she protested. "Give that back."

"Getting drunk is just going to have you feeling worse in the morning. I'm cutting you off."

"You're no fun," she whined. Kate tried to stand up but found that gravity was winning that battle. Sawyer grabbed her elbow before she had a chance to fall on her ass.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm going to the caves be–"

"It's getting dark."

"–cause Jack needs to hear a piece of my mind."

She managed to step out, but Sawyer followed her every move, ready to catch her if she fell. Her steps were labored and she swayed when she walked but she was still adamant about going to the caves.

"Wouldn't you rather tell the hero off when you can remember it?"

"Nope," she said, stomping through the sand.

"If Jack sees your drunk he's going to blame me."

"Is that all you're worried about?" She spun around, on what felt like quicksand. "Yourself?"

"I'm not wor–"

"I just spilled my life story to you and you're– You're just a selfish pig, Sawyer!"

"Freckles, you're drunk." It was her only excuse for using such a tired expression.

He tried grabbing her elbow but she snatched it away, almost falling over in the process. "You're just as bad as Jack is! You're both...pigs!" she spat.

"Fine!" Sawyer said, his patience dwindling. "Go on and puke all over him- I don't care anymore!" He walked back towards his tent as Kate watched him, a little surprised that he'd let her go. Finally she mouthed, 'I will' and started off on her own, but it wasn't too long before she started feeling dizzy. She tried steadying herself and blinking it away, but the spinning was unrelenting.

"Sawyer," she called faintly. Luckily he was still close enough to hear her. The ground moved beneath her as she felt herself falling. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Sawyer rushing towards her.


	4. chapter 4

Jack found himself doing nothing for the first time since the crash. Things were pretty calm around the caves and there was nothing that was needed to be done that could be done in the coming darkness. He could've twiddled his thumbs if he wanted to but he found it more productive to reorganize the medicine cart. Plus, it helped to keep his mind off Kate and how he'd acted with her.

It became increasingly hard when he heard a commotion around him with people saying her name. He turned around and saw Sawyer coming towards him with Kate laying limp in his arms.

He got to his feet in an instant and hurried towards them. "What happened?" he asked, urgently.

"She passed out," Sawyer explained as he put her down on the nearest makeshift cot. He shoved the gathering people aside and let Jack kneel down beside her. He checked for a pulse and put his ear close to her mouth to see if she was breathing.

"She has alcohol on her breath," he announced, turning to Sawyer with an incriminating stare. "Charlie, help me turn her on her side. Michael, get her some water." He kept his eyes on Kate now, unwilling to look at Sawyer when he spoke to him. "How much did she have?"

All Sawyer saw was Kate. All he heard around him was static white noise.

"How much alcohol did she have!" Jack repeated, more agitated.

Finally he snapped out of his trans and looked towards Jack, still keeping her in sight. "Three bottles of..." Sawyer tried hard to think, but his mind wasn't working too well at the moment. The waning alcohol in his system and his worry for Kate were getting the better of him.

"Bottles!" Jack shouted. "How big wer–"

"They were from the plane," Sawyer responded.

Jack grabbed a plastic bottle from the cart and dabbed some of the liquid onto a cotton swab. He waved it under Kate's nose, hoping to revive her. "How fast did she drink them?"

"An hour. Maybe 2. Look, I really wasn't paying much attention to-"

Jack finally stood up to face Sawyer. The mere sight of him shirtless, standing casually to the side without the slightest ounce of remorse on his face was enough to make Jack snap. He couldn't imagine what Kate was doing with him. Jack went towards him. "Are you paying attention now, you bastard!"

Sawyer clenched his jaw and hesitantly chose not to ball his fingers into a fist. Normally he'd never let a man talk to him like that and let him walk away unharmed. But he knew better this time. He swallowed his pride, knowing that if he wasn't a distraction to the doc, then he could help Kate a lot faster.

"Do you know how dangerous it is to drink on an empty stomach? Hard liquor, no less!"

"I thought you went on a hike to get food," the worry and regret in his voice was only audible to himself.

"You better hope this isn't serious. She could have alcohol poisoning!"

"Hey, stop pointing fingers, alright! Why do you think she had so much to drink in the first place?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means if she's so damn better off with you why the hell was she with me!"

Jack pulled back, a result of being at the receiving end of Sawyer's verbal blow. Without hesitating, he formed a fist and brought it Sawyer's jaw. His knuckles collided with his face at an incredibly fast rate.

Sawyer stumbled back. If he'd had more liquor in his body and if the doc wasn't such a weakling, he would've been on the floor. At the moment, though, he was just wiping the trickled blood from the corner of his mouth. It would taste a lot sweeter when he got to turn Jack's face into mush. He stood straight again, ready to do just that when a week moan disrupted him.

The two men turned to see Kate fluttering her eyes open.

"Kate?" Jack said, going back to her side. He took the water bottle from Michael and fed it to her. "You're going to be ok."

Sawyer saw that she was conscience again and he exhaled for the first time since he saw her faint on the beach.

Jack reached for her hand. His knuckles- red with Sawyer's blood- wrapped around her fingers delicately.

Sawyer receded into the woods, unnoticed. He could finally go. She was safe again.


	5. chapter 5

Sawyer let his head fall back as the breeze brushed against his cheeks. It had been a good while since he felt a refreshing breeze that wasn't damp with humidity. Sure, the wind mixed with his cigarette smoke as it clouded the air but he found smoking refreshing too.

He sat on a rock on the edge of the waterfall he'd discovered with Kate. His jeans were rolled up to his knees and his bare feet dangled carelessly in the cool water, reaching to the top of his calves. He remembered doing the same thing as a child by the lake near his house. Whenever he wanted to get away he'd come to the lake, sit at the edge of the dock, and dunk his feet in the water. Even at a small age he'd needed to get away.

But he wasn't a boy anymore, and he realized dunking his feet in water seemed more pathetic than carefree.

"Fuck it," he said to himself, bringing the cigarette to his lips. No one was around to see him. He was the only one in the world that knew this place existed. Well, him and Kate.

"You shouldn't curse. It ruins your good-guy image."

He recognized her voice instantly, but only turned his neck slightly in her direction. He kept his eyes on the water. "Mornin', " he said, dryly.

When he wasn't in his tent that morning she knew exactly where to find him. The waterfall was a place only the two of them knew of.

Kate stayed behind him, hesitant to sit by him and invade his space, but she couldn't stand the awkward silence much longer. "I brought you something," she said. He sat at one side of a flat surface, leaving enough room for another to join him, almost as if he had been expecting company. She sat cross-legged, holding a small stuffed square envelope before her. "It's ground coffee beans. I got it from Locke." she stuck it out for Sawyer to take. "For your hangover."

Sawyer took another drag of the cigarette and let the smoke lethargically leave his tight lips. "I don't have a hangover."

She nodded, silently and dabbed the envelope on her finger tips. She looked at him for a bit but he wasn't turning to see her. If his distance was supposed to be sending her a message, she got it. "Ok," she said. She started getting up but Sawyer put his hand on her knee to stop her.

"Don't ever do that again, ok?" he said.

She stayed where she was. "Do what?"

"Pass out on me." He stamped the cigarette on a rock. "You scared the hell out of me."

Kate heard a trace of remorse in his voice that she'd never heard before. Usually whenever he'd say something it was filled with snarky undertones that would make it impossible to take him seriously. Now it was impossible not to.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Minutes passed between them as the silence spoke for them both. "Forget about it," Sawyer finally said. He looked at her briefly, suddenly regretting having made her sorry. He leaned into her shoulder with his own and shoved her playfully.

A sly smile crawled up on Kate's face to accompany the lighter mood between them. "I threw up on Jack," she suddenly announced.

Sawyer's mouth fell agape and his eyebrows rose towards his hair line. He coughed up a few stunned chuckles. "Of all the things that happen on this island I miss the doctor getting vomited on? That's just not fair."

"You should've been there." She looked at him but he still kept his eyes on the water. It sure was frustrating to try and get him open up. She supposed the same could be said about her. "I know you brought me to him. Why didn't you stay?"

"Which answer do you want first, Freckles? How 'bout, you pass out on my watch, while Jacko, on the other hand brings you back." He tilted his head forward, in defeat. She was better off with someone who could take care of her.

"And I know you didn't want to be anywhere near Jack but I didn't know what else to do. You weren't waking up." He hated revisiting the scene in his mind. He had barely caught her before she hit the sand. He tried shaking her but when nothing happened, he panicked. Seeing her like that... he didn't want to think about it. Seeing her now, sitting next to him, was a much better vision. He finally turned to look at her.

"And let's just say I wasn't welcome."

Kate finally got to see the other side of his face when he turned to face her. The area surrounding the corner of his mouth was bruised and it looked painful. She reached for his face and Sawyer didn't pull back when she touched it.

"God." She caressed his face softly, making sure she didn't add more pain an already painful-looking bruise. "Did Jack do that?"

Sawyer smiled and felt his cheek expand into her palm. He didn't expect the sensation of Kate's thumb grazing his jaw to feel so nice. "Who knew doctors liked to play fisticuffs?"

"I'm sorry, Sawyer. He shouldn't have hit you. It's all my fault"

"Freckles, I've been punched in the face by people a lot more dangerous than spinal surgeons. I'll survive."

She smiled, but guilt still remained etched in her features. "Hey," Sawyer said, authoritatively commanding her attention. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault. "

His words resonated with her in a way she didn't expect them to. It seemed like she was forever trying to prove her innocence be it back home or even on the island. And here was Sawyer, who barely knew her, yet knew exactly what to say to appease her.

Kate took her hand and gingerly placed it on top of his, squeezing it slightly. Sawyer wasn't much for hand-holding, but at the moment it felt kinda nice. He shifted his hand so that his palm pressed against hers and stretched his fingers, linking them with hers.

He couldn't remember the last time he had held a girl's hand for a reason other than to lead her into a bedroom. He was always subconsciously opposed to it, opting for a kiss or something more instead. Something less vulnrable.

"I haven't fought over a girl since grade school," he said. "But if it means roughing up the good ol' doc once in a while, hey, who am I to object?"

"So now you're fighting over me?" Kate asked, bemused.

He smiled and looked in her eyes. "I'll fight over anything that's worthwhile."

THE END


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